Smuggler warns government policies won't halt asylum seekers

Australian government policies will not have any effect on asylum seekers coming to Australia by boat, according to a people smuggler

ABC News

A people smuggler in Indonesia has told the ABC that none of the domestic policies being considered in Australia can stop the boats.

As the Federal Government looks for answers leading up to the election, the people smuggler says proposed measures like turning boats back or making it harder to get refugee status are not enough.

The smuggler says there are now too many people fleeing death and persecution and that factor outweighs Australia's attempts to stop them.

And while more boats reach Australian waters, some former refugees who have lost family members on the dangerous journey say the immigration system is oppressive.

The people smuggler, who is known to police, says he does not think the trade is threatened by any domestic policies being considered in Australia.

The man, who admitted to being involved in about 12 boats that have reached Australia this year, spoke to the ABC on condition of anonymity and said the conditions on Nauru and Manus Island were also not a deterrent.

"Because those people can at least live there, right? They live there for 10 years, for 20 years, but they will live there. They won't be killed, they won't get bombed. At least they will survive, right?" he said.

Domestic policies of the Australian Government could not compete with the threat of death in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan that are the main force driving demand for people smuggling, he added.

"They make the conditions difficult or they make anything like that, the policies like that, but at least they are not going to kill these people."

Deep scars caused by perilous journey

The combination of rough seas and more boats is placing political pressure on the Government to find solutions.

A former employee of the Department of Immigration, Greg Lake, says officers are feeling the strain of the arrivals and the losses at sea.

"I know my colleagues would have been challenged, but the last week, I know they'll be tired. They'll be frustrated, and I know that's how I felt when I witnessed similar sorts of things," he said.

But former refugees have far deeper scars caused by their journeys to Australia.

Ahmed Alzalimi's three daughters were among more than 350 people who drowned in the SIEV X tragedy in 2001 when they tried to join him in Australia.

His wife was one of only 44 survivors of the sinking.

In the months after the incident, she made up three beds each night for her lost children.

Mr Alzalimi says he feels like a wounded lion and that the longer you live with your wounds, the more you feel the pain.

The family wants to ensure that no other asylum seekers experience a similar loss.

Condition on Nauru, Manus Island no deterrent

As the election draws nearer and the debate over asylum seekers deepens, the people smuggler says the terrible conditions in countries where people are fleeing from is too powerful to be stopped.

He viewed the details of Australia's policy options by both major parties but says people within his network and customers say neither will be able to halt refugees.

As evidence, he pointed to the poor reputations of the conditions of Nauru and Manus Island which still did not serve as deterrents.

The man says he made up to $40,000 per boat he smuggled but he has now stopped organising boat departures and instead handles the money transfers.

He says his links stretch back through a network that spans Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Dubai, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The smuggler says any policy of turning boats back may have a small impact, but he doubted it would have any long-term effect because it was impossible to police and people would keep trying to get through.

In addition, he said making refugee status harder to attain once in Australia would also not deter asylum seekers.

But he did say arresting all the people smugglers might work, but since they bribe local Indonesian authorities they would not get arrested.

If authorities could shut down the borders to Malaysia and Indonesia, he said, that may block the passage to Australia.